My Heritage

Are you proud of your heritage? Do you have a family history you cling to, or maybe you love your family name and can’t wait to pass it down?

I love my family history. It’s something that I love learning about. I’ll get choked up just thinking about it because it is so important to me.

I have this book series that I read over and over again, about this family that is followed through the generations. First, you read about the start of their ranch back in the 1800’s, then you end with their ancestors still living on that land in the present day. I love the idea of that, and it reinforces how I feel about my family land as well.

Yesterday, James and I went up to the family property on my Grandpa’s side so we could scout around in case James wants to hunt up there this year. As we wandered just a small portion of the property, I couldn’t help but get sucked deep into my thoughts on it all. I said a few of these thoughts to James, but some of them I kept to myself and contemplated. We were out there about 2 hours, which gave me plenty of time to think.

My mind followed this trail of thoughts: I love this land. It’s so crazy to think that this was my Great Grandparents land. My Great Grandpa came in and bought this land, and my Grandpa and his siblings grew up here. When my Grandpa was just 10 years old he hiked to the top of the mountain by himself. They used this land to hunt for food, and to play for fun. They used to use a horse-drawn carriage to get ice blocks out of the lake up the road, and then they would bring them back down to pack into the ice house with sawdust for the summer. Etc etc.

It’s crazy how different life is nowadays. I wish I could go hike the mountain with my Grandpa and hear more of his stories, but I am so grateful for the time we did have, and for the stories that I will never forget.

I’m so grateful for the connection I feel with the land.

The mountain was resplendent in its fall colors, and I got some amazing pictures to share with you!

A couple of weeks ago we went down to the property that is specifically owned by my direct portion of the family, picked out by my Grandpa himself. It was one of his favorite parts of the land.

We went down to the creek where we have created a little area for the family to enjoy and celebrate my Grandpa’s life. The family has put a lot of work into making the area beautiful and peaceful, and it brings me so much joy to be down there!

While we were down there we tried to pick up a little, moving dead branches and clearing a part of the creek so it could run better. We always try to leave it a little nicer, and we always like to talk about different things we could add to the area. While we were doing this, I had the brief thought that Grandpa would have loved joining in with us. It was a bittersweet moment.

It is so special to have this land that I feel such a connection with, and I am forever grateful for it.